Word on the vine: Montclair restaurants to offer wine in-house

Costanera Cocina Peruana Owner and Head Chef Juan Placencia samples some wine from DW Vineyards of Ringoes. The vineyard is eyeing the installation of wine outlets at both Costanera on Bloomfield Avenue and Fresco on Church Street.

You're planning a night out to one of the umpteen restaurants in Montclair. You dress your best, get a sitter for the kids, drive up one of several of the town's business areas and grab a bottle of wine before entering what tends to be a BYO establishment.

That final step in many Montclair diners' checklist may be moot in the coming months in at least two establishments, Costanera Cocina Peruana on Bloomfield Avenue and Fresco on Church Street. DW Vineyards LLC of Ringoes has applied to install "wine outlets" at both locations, the vineyard's sales manager, Jennifer Tanner, told The Montclair Times.

About a month ago, Tanner toured Montclair's restaurant scene, meeting with owners and surveying menus. Costanera and Fresco jumped out to her as potential fits due to the hospitality of owners Juan Placencia and Rob Porporino, respectively.

"It was by chance," Tanner said. "They had no idea who I was or why I was there, but they were so welcome and inviting."

Porporino told The Times that he anticipates that offering wine at his restaurant will be of benefit to his business and said that he jumped at the opportunity, as his menu invites itself to wine pairings.

Tanner said that DW has already filed paperwork with the state Alcoholic Beverage Control to install the outlets in the restaurants. The restaurants will be subject to an upcoming inspection by the ABC as part of the application process. DW also filed a legal notice in last week's issue to notify residents who may have concerns.

Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson will also have an opportunity to raise any issues he may have, according to Tanner.

Jackson, though curious about how wine outlets may impact the township's wine shops and liquor stores, called the development "very positive" for the Montclair restaurant scene.

Those who closely follow the liquor licenses, or lack thereof, may be confused by how wine outlets relate to licenses. The fact is, they don't, according to ABC spokesman Zach Hosseini.

Restaurants cannot seek out wine outlets, but rather wineries in New Jersey are permitted through the state to establish up to 15 outlets inside restaurants that exclusively sell their wine, according to Hosseini.

Placencia anticipates that Costanera will offer roughly four or five of the vineyard's selections and, like Fresco, will have both a wine menu and a small display of the bottles his restaurant offers. Costanera is also considering pairing sangrias with the wines they will be carrying, said Placencia.

Due to ABC's heavy workload, Placencia said that it could take anywhere between two and six months to finalize DW's application and begin offering wine in-house. Still, the restaurant owner expects the wine outlet to be up and running within 90 days.